Polymer nanoparticles classification

Classification of composites by the phase inclusion size bears a philosophical aspect how small should a component in the matrix be not to make the term composite material so universal as to include in fact all materials Interatomic distances in molecules and crystals are of 1.5 10 m dimensionality, distances between iterative elements of the crystalline structure are 10 —10 m, while the size of the smallest intermolecular voids in polymers is 10 m. Note that mean nanoparticle size (plastic pigments are 10-8-10 m in size, the diameter of monocrystalline fibers or whiskers is 10 —10 m, glass microspheres are 10 —10 m) is commensurate with parameters of monolithic simple materials. This means that in the totality of engineering materials, nanocomposites occupy a place at the boundary between composite and simple materials. 

Nanocomposites consist of a nanometer-scale phase in combination with another phase. While this section focuses on polymer nanocomposites, it is worth noting that other important materials can also be classed as nanocomposites—super-alloy turbine blades, for instance, and many sandwich structures in microelectronics. Dimensionality is one of the most basic classifications of a (nano)composite (Fig. 6.1). A nanoparticle-reinforced system exemplifies a zero-dimensional nanocomposite, while macroscopic particles produce a traditional filled polymer. Nanoflbers or nanowhiskers in a matrix constitute a one-dimensional nanocomposite, while large fibers give us the usual fiber composites. The two-dimensional case is based on individual layers of nanoscopic thickness embedded in a matrix, with larger layers giving rise to conventional flake-filled composites. Finally, an interpenetrating network is an example of a three-dimensional nanocomposite, while co-continuous polymer blends serve as an example of a macroscale counterpart. 

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These descriptive terms are used to classify the degree of nauoscale dispersion as well as global micro- and macroscale dispersion of the nanoparticles in the polymer matrix. Since no numerical standards exist for rating the degree of nanoparticle dispersion in the polymer matrix, use of these terms is strictly qualitative and continues to be area of some controversy, as the classification of dispersion is mostly the opinion of the user. Unfortunately, not all researchers in the nanocomposite area use these terms in the same ways. The definition of intercalated comes from an... 

There are several methods of classification of polymeric nanocomposites. One of these classifications is based on the dimensionahty of the nanoparticles that are dispersed into the polymer matrix. 

Can one imagine the utility of a dispersed-phase reinforcement for polymers that has a thickness of 1 nm, a platelike morphology with minimal dimensions of 150 to 200 nm, robust with a modulus of 180 GPa, nontoxic (FDA classification of GRAS generally regarded as safe for a majority of applications), a surface area in excess of 750 m /g, a charge suitable for altering its hydrophobic-hydrophilic balance at will, and a refractive index similar to polymer so that the nanoparticles will appear transparent in the polymer composite How difficult would it be to prepare such a particle ... 

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